3-125 - The Development of Social Emotions in the Early Years

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

Emotions serve central functions in human life. For example, they enable us to communicate, connect, and get along with others. Although much is known about the development of basic – or individual – emotions, we currently know relatively little about the development of more complex social emotions. The present symposium addresses this goal. It consists of three papers—each shedding light on the development of children’s social emotions in different ways—and concludes with an integrative discussion.
The first paper provides evidence for the development of other-oriented empathic responses to another’s distress during the first year of life, suggesting that children are attuned to the emotional states of their social partners from very early on. The second paper examines the development of social emotions during the toddler years. In particular, it focuses on the emergence of guilt and gratitude, providing evidence that both of these emotions serve critical prosocial functions by 3 years of age. The third paper examines children’s social emotions in yet more complex social situations. Specifically, it addresses multifaceted situations of social exclusion based on different categories (e.g., gender, aggression), and demonstrates children’s growing understanding of the emotional states involved in such events between early and middle childhood.
Taken together, these papers provide new insights into the emergence of social emotions and their functions across development, from infancy to middle childhood. Our discussant – a leading expert in the field of socio-emotional development – will highlight common themes, major issues, and implications for developmental theory and future research.

Sub Unit

• Social, Emotional, Personality

Chair

• Maayan Davidov, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Discussant

• Nancy Eisenberg, Arizona State University

Individual Presentations

• The Early Development of Empathy for Others in Distress across the First Year of Life - Presenting Author: Maayan Davidov, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Carolyn Zahn-Waxler, University of Wisconsin; Ronit Roth-Hanania, Academic College of Tel-Aviv-Yaffo; Yael Paz, Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Florina Uzefovsky, Cambridge Univ; Tal Orlitsky, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

• (Pro)social emotions: The development of guilt and gratitude - Presenting Author: Amrisha Vaish, University of Virginia; Robert Hepach, Max Planck Inst for Evol Anthropology; Malinda Carpenter, University of St. Andrews; Michael Tomasello, Max Planck Institute

• Children’s Emotions in Contexts of Peer Exclusion and Victimization - Presenting Author: Tina Malti, University of Toronto; Na Young Bae, University of Toronto; Joanna Peplak, University of Toronto; Lixian Cui, Univ of Toronto; Elizabeth K. Johnson, University of Toronto